When the 70s began, the Women’s liberation movement was at an all-time high.
Women from all over the world had grown tired of the patriarchal society they had been born into. Thus, they began to seek ways to emancipate every part of their experience as a woman.
This second wave of feminism instigated multiple protests, in which millions of weary voices, demanding equal rights and opportunities, could be heard. Many faces from this crowd of thousands went down in history for succeeding in making political and social changes. Nevertheless, no other had as much impact in the world of tennis as Billie Jean King.
King’s professional career commenced with the birth of the “Open” era in 1968. By the time Billie Jean was already a well-known player in the United States, and after winning a Wimbledon, she was on her way to earning a prize money of $1,966,487, making her one of the most popular up-and-coming players of the world.
In those days, female players used to earn a lesser prize money in comparison to their male counterparts, and this injustice did not sit right with King. From a young age, she knew women were viewed as second-class citizens because of their gender, and she was very much aware that as her fame grew, men would try to tear her down and destroy her career, for men believe women are inferior to them, weaker than them.
Billie knew that if she wanted to make the men listen to her, she had to become number one. She had to prove that women are just as capable as men, just as worthy and that people did want to see them play.
From the moment King became a pro, she faced many battles on the tennis court. With each match, her voice in the quest for equality was growing louder. However, none of her games was as legendary as the one against Bobby Riggs.
Dubbed “Battle of the Sexes”, this match captured the attention of the whole nation since, for women around the country, this was more than just a game.
Before the match began, King was carried out to the Astrodome court like Cleopatra, in a gold litter held by four muscular men dressed up as ancient slaves. On the other hand, Riggs’ entrance was accompanied by sexy models in tight outfits, making it very clear that, for him, women’s purpose is to be looked at.
By the time the game ended, Billie Jean had won with a vast difference in each set. With this, she completely humbled the con man’s ego and showed the world that a female athlete can survive pressure-filled situations and that men are just as susceptible to nerves as women. She had finally made a noise loud enough that even skeptics couldn’t ignore her now.
King was much more than a woman who undressed a self-proclaimed “male chauvinist pig” in front of a live audience of millions. She was a pioneer who reformed the minds of men and set new standards in society by “prominently affecting the way 50 per cent of civilization thinks and feels about itself in the area of physical exercise.”, or so wrote Frank Deford in Sports Illustrated.
History has recorded all that she accomplished in furthering the cause of women’s struggle for equality in the 1970s. So, it is no reach to say that Billie Jean King was instrumental in the fight, guaranteeing women the right to have other pursuits than childbirth and the right to equality in the sports field. She won for all women.
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